Headline Roundup • January 3rd, 2025
What We Know About the Cybertruck Explosion Suspect
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Authorities identified Matthew Livelsberger, 37, as the bomber in the Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump hotel on Wednesday. The explosion occurred at 8:39 a.m., injuring seven.
Livelsberger: Livelsberger was an active-duty Green Beret from Colorado Springs who was on approved leave from service in Germany. Livelsberger died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound before the explosion. A handgun and rifle, both purchased legally on Monday, were found at his feet in the Cybertruck. Livelsberger and his wife had been separated since around Christmas after a dispute regarding allegations of infidelity. The Denver Gazette (Center bias) reported that he reached out to several ex-girlfriends ahead of the attack.
Connected to the NOLA Attack?: At the time of this writing, authorities have not found any link between the two attacks, but President Biden instructed them to keep looking. While there aren't indications that Livelsberger and Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the New Orleans attack suspect, knew each other, they both served in Afghanistan in 2009 and at Fort Liberty. They did not serve in the same unit or same years at Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg. Both rented the cars used for their attacks through the Turo app.
How the Media Covered It: While the Daily Mail (Right bias) mentioned Livelsberger's ex-wife's anti-Trump posts, Salon (Left bias) highlighted his family members' testimonies that he “loved Trump.” Although family members described him as a Trump supporter, the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Center bias) reported he was registered as a “No Labels” voter, a centrist party representing those who feel politically homeless.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Matthew Livelsberger -- the suspected driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded on New Year's Day outside the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel -- died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound prior to the blast, officials said at a Thursday press briefing.
Investigators had already collected significant evidence that Livelsberger was behind the wheel of the vehicle before publicly confirming their suspicions.
Officials found credit and identification cards in his name, purchase records identifying him as the owner of weapons found in the destroyed vehicle and identified tattoos similar to Livelsberger's...
Tesla Cybertruck bomber Matthew Livelsberger is a long-serving married Green Beret who was on leave from active duty when he carried out the attack outside Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel.
Livelsberger, 37, was identified by law enforcement sources as the bomber in Wednesday's attack, which left seven wounded. The electric vehicle exploded about 15 seconds after the driver pulled up in front of the hotel's entrance.
The blast was caused by 'a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck' or 'very large fireworks', according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Alicia Arritt had no inkling that her ex-boyfriend was planning to blow up one of the swankiest hotels on the Las Vegas strip.
In the days before the explosion and apparent suicide, Matthew Livelsberger’s texts to her were playful, almost like a kid with a new toy.
“I rented a Tesla Cybertruck. It’s the s***,” he wrote her at 9 a.m. on Sunday from Denver. He continued to text her until New Year’s Eve, sending photos and music videos of the vehicle.
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